A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting
with her Mother.
As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of
life adulthood, the mother clinked
the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance
upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your Sisters." she advised, swirling the tea leaves
to the bottom of her glass.
"They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you
love your husband, no matter
how mauch you love your children you may have, you are still going to need
Sisters. Remenber to go
places with them now and then; do things with them. And remember that "Sisters"
also means your
girlfriends, your daughters, and other women relatives too. You'll need
other women. Womens always do."

'What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. 'Haven't I just
gotten married? Haven't I just
joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A
grownup. Surely my husband
and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made
more women friends each
year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to
understand that her Mom
really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes
and thier mysteries
upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:

But..............
Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between
you. A girlfriend is
never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself,
your girlfriends will
be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you,
intervening on your behalf,
and waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even
break the rules and walk
beside you. Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, daughter- in-laws, sisters, sister-in-laws, Mother,
mother-in-law, aunties,
nieces, cousins, and extended family, bless our life!
The world wouldn't be the same without them, and neither would I.

When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible
joys or sorrows
that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still.